Learning Time Frames- Your Child Is Speeding Up

At this age, your child can understand time frame although vaguely. Your child will understand words like ’After,’ ‘Before,’ ‘Soon,' ‘Later,’ ‘Yesterday,’ and ‘Right now,’ but he will still not be able to decipher the duration of time expressed in phrases like ‘Three months’ time,’ 'Two weeks ago” or “Last year.” A child will however understand what it means if you tell him to wash hands before eating food or put on shoes after wearing socks.

 

 

As a parent, you can involve your child in activities that will help him understand the concept of time better. You can draw a clock, and stick pictograms near significant hours of the day with associated events like wake up at 7:00 am, have a bowl of cereals at 8:00 am, arrive at preschool at 8:30 am and so on. Recognizing different times of the day and activities associated with them is the first step for children to understand the concept of time.

 

Show your child a calendar and ask him to cross off days that have passed. Let him count the number of days left for an upcoming festival. Explain to your child that days once over don’t come back.